Empty eyes
by ColourVegan
Summary: A pre-Nejihina drabble series.
1. She and he

**Title:** Empty eyes: She and he  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Character(s):** Neji, Hinata  
**Rating:** PG

**Author's Note:** A simple gen-drabble - could possibly be viewed as pre-Nejihina.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Naruto manga or anime- or any other aspect of the franchise – it was created by Kishimoto Masashi.

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_**EMPTY EYES**_

_**She and he**_

She's brilliant, they say, they're lucky not many recognised it when she was a Chuunin – much less "high profile" than the other Hyuuga, who everyone spoke of as a prodigy.

He allows himself to listen to rumour – for an organisation which pride's itself on secrecy there are much whispering and gossiping going on within the ANBU complex's walls – it is still unclear to him, however, how his timid and stuttering cousin managed to be initiated into the ANBU mere months after he himself was.

.

The mission hadn't been too hard – recon hardly ever was – yet boring and long hours of sitting around doing nothing but cautiously monitoring some or another target did leave even the most well trained ninja with cramps.

Neji made his way into the combined shower and locker-room of the ANBU complex – it was usually deserted this time of day – too late in the morning for anyone returning from a mission, but too early for anyone being sent out.

Dirty armour with the unsalvageable remains of a uniform propped against a wall and the unmistakable sound of a running shower forced Neji to bury a sigh – it wasn't empty as he had hoped.

Earlier than he anticipated the water stops and the person least likely to be there, in his mind, exits one of the shower-stalls with nothing but a towel to dry her long hair.

Her hair is long now, it hits him – he hasn't seen her in long enough for her hair to grow out to the same length the rest of their clan keeps it at.

Hinata doesn't acknowledge him when she makes her way over to the shelf housing net-baskets containing their non-ANBU clothing; she takes out a small cylinder container, opens it and proceeds to apply a thin layer of what must be healing cream to two small scratches on her leg and one on her arm, just below the ANBU-tattoo, before screwing the container shut again and putting it back in the hamper.

Sooner than Neji expected she's dressed in her regular Jounin outfit and out of the room leaving behind no dirty amour or soiled uniform – only a fading "Good morning, nii-san."

She hadn't stuttered.

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	2. She's stronger than him

**Title:** Empty eyes: She's stronger than him  
**Fandom:** Naruto  
**Character(s):** Neji, Hinata  
**Rating:** PG  
**Words:** 561

**Author's Note:** Another gen-drabble – can be considered pre-Nejihina. The sequel of _She and he_.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own either the Naruto manga or anime – it was written by Kishimoto Masashi.

- - -

_**EMPTY EYES**_

_**She's stronger than him**_

It takes him a while to find her – she's moved out from the Hyuuga Clan's Compound since... he never had reflected on her dwelling status before, but as the oldest child to the Clan Head she would never have been able to move away from her family – unless something he was unaware of had happened.

He finds her cross-legged on the living room floor of her tiny apartment – not shabby or dingy – just small. There's a cup of herbal tea to her right and a bag of sunflower seeds to her left – salted sunflower seeds – he had never been able to stomach either, but he remember hearing her insist to Kiba once that they were healthy – folders and reports are spread out in front of her on the floor.

"Good afternoon, nii-san," she says quietly – there's no stutter to her voice – not looking up from the paperwork.

"Hinata-sama," he replies with more respect than he has ever shown her in the past – this new Hinata keeps him strangely off balance.

She looks up at him then – her head slightly tilted to the side as if contemplating his greeting – a small blush colouring her place cheeks pink. A minute smile curves her lips, dark eyelashes flutter and she bits her lower lip before speaking again.

"You don't have to call me that," soft, but confident, "I'm not part of the Main House any longer."

He looks at her stupidly a moment before finding his composure again – not many people can put him as off balance as his cousin seems to be able to. Her forehead is covered by that heavy fringe – he imagines the hateful seal it now hides.

"This way," she continues almost sadly, "father gets his way without political repercussions – Hanabi as heir and you as future Head of the Branch House – strong leaders."

"You abdicated," he states – it's unneeded with the blaringly obvious facts staring him in the face, but he feels the need to hear it out loud.

"It was the right thing to do," her quiet voice explains, "I had a duty to the Clan."

You are my cousin, he wants to scream – what about your duty to me? You can't just leave me there with all of them, but it occurs to him then that he too is "one of them" to her – another one of her demons who haunted her existence because she was the Hyuuga heir and she wasn't strong in the way they demanded she'd be.

Hinata is strong though, Neji can't deny that – Hinata is stronger than any other person he's ever met.

Like a fragile flower forcing its way through concrete only to have the opportunity to bloom and to let its kind go on. Just like that fragile flower she's breathtakingly beautiful in her solitude.

He always thought he was strong – alone – never needing anybody, but he doesn't know if he could leave the protection of his Clan the way she has done – to be truly alone.

"You're amazing," the words are out before he can compose himself – his voice no louder than a whisper.

She doesn't comment on his slip – only turns her head back to her work, but the pink tint of her cheeks tells him she heard it.

He leaves before he can embarrass himself further by loosing composure – he learnt what he came there to learn.

- - -

**_Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to comment -_**  
**_an author can't grow without praise or constructive criticism._**


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